Arrival in South Africa

Well, I'm here. The first thing I thought when I stepped off the plane yesterday was, "It smells like South Africa." Now, I don't think I can describe it any clearer than that, but it's true. It smells the same. My second thought was, "It's not that cold." I am certainly glad that I packed sweaters and a light jacket, but I will not be bemoaning the terrible winter!

I was met at the airport by Estelle and her parents. After collecting my luggage we headed to their home in nearby Strand. It was dark so I didn't see much of the town, but Estelle took me around a little bit today.

Estelle and Me:


Did I mention Strand has mountains AND is on the ocean?!


Fagan Street. Must research the family tree more.



Everyone is indulging me by speaking in English, though Afrikaans is beginning to be integrated into the conversation. Estelle has even given me some children's books to practice with! My brain is struggling to shift from Chinese to Afrikaans. Earlier I was practicing and ended up with: "Bu shu. Dit is nie bijiao lung nie." (That's a lovely mix of both languages if you couldn't guess!) But I can tell that I'm starting to adjust as I hear more Afrikaans. Last night I had strange dreams--language dreams, I call them. They plagued me in China, those dreams that are a result of my brain processing new language and new information; I welcome them now as evidence of my learning!

Tomorrow, Estelle and I start off on a 6-day road trip. I think I've been saying "along the coast" but Estelle is now telling me that's incorrect! It's more of an inland trip, she says, where we will see the Karoo and experience Route 62 (think Route 66 in the US). It's not a total surprise (she's showing me the map right now) but I'll be finding out most of the details along the way. :)

Love to all of you.